Lincoln have been dealt a transfer blow ahead of the upcoming window as on-loan defender TJ Eyoma is poised to be given a chance to impress by Tottenham in pre-season.

What's the talk?

Tottenham journalist Rob Guest has revealed that Eyoma will return to the North London club and that he will be given the opportunity to stake a claim for a first-team spot in pre-season. Guest has claimed that Tottenham's next manager will get to take a close look at every player and has drawn comparisons with Japhet Tanganga, who was able to impress in pre-season and work his way into the senior squad. He told Football London:

“Now that his time in Lincolnshire has come to an end, Eyoma will enjoy a well-deserved break before returning to Hotspur Way in pre-season as he bids to take the next step in his promising career.

“Tottenham’s next manager will take a close look at all his players ahead of the 2021/22 campaign and then make a decision on whether they remain with him, go out on loan or are sold.

“Japhet Tanganga, who Eyoma was once ahead of in the pecking order in N17, took his opportunity in the summer of 2019 and subsequently made his senior bow a few months down the line and is now part of the first-team squad."

Appleton will be devastated

Lincoln failed to secure promotion to the Championship at the weekend as they lost 2-1 in the play-off final to Blackpool and now they have been dealt another blow with this update on Eyoma. The Imps will be in League One for another season and they may not have a chance to recapture one of their key players from the campaign because of Tottenham's intentions to take a close look at him.

Eyoma played 50 games in all competitions for Lincoln as he proved his worth at League One level. He averaged an impressive WhoScored rating of 6.78 at right-back and a score of 6.82 at centre-back for Lincoln in the league, which highlights both his quality and his versatility at the age of 21.

The £3.9k-per-week defender was clearly a favourite of Appleton's, as shown by the number of appearances he made, and the Lincoln boss will be devastated that it is now unlikely that they will be able to bring him back for a second season.

Even if Tottenham get to the end of pre-season and decide to send Eyoma back out on loan, Lincoln cannot afford to keep waiting around. They will need to crack on with their own business instead of waiting by the phone to see if Spurs will allow them to sign Eyoma for another season, which means that this news could alter their transfer strategy this summer.

Appleton will be devastated to lose the chance to get the Spurs man back on loan and he will now need to look at recruiting either a player who can play equally well at right-back and centre-back or two players - a centre-back and a right-back, given what Eyoma was able to produce for Lincoln in those positions.